Candle Wick Size Chart: Sizing Guide for Containers
Printable reference tables for cotton, wood, zinc-core, and hemp wicks across every common container diameter - generated from the same sizing engine that powers our calculator, not a static chart someone typed once and never updated.
How Wick Sizing Actually Works
Wick sizing is not a single lookup - it is a small calculation with four inputs: your container's diameter, your wax type, your container's shape, and your fragrance load. Our engine starts with the raw diameter in inches, then multiplies it by three factors before checking which size band it falls into.
The wax multiplier accounts for how hot and how densely each wax burns: soy and custom blends sit at a 1.0x baseline, paraffin burns hotter so it gets 0.9x (effectively sizing down), beeswax needs more heat to melt so it gets 1.1x (sizing up), and coconut or parasoy blends sit at 0.95x. The shape multiplier accounts for the extra wax volume in non-round containers: round stays at 1.0x, hexagon at 1.05x, square at 1.1x, and rectangle at 1.15x. The fragrance multiplier follows the formula 1 + (fragrance% - 6) x 0.02, so every point of fragrance load above 6% nudges the effective diameter up by 2%.
Multiply your diameter by all three factors and you get an "adjusted diameter," which the engine checks against fixed size bands (up to 2", up to 2.5", up to 3", and so on) for whichever wick family you picked. The tables below run that exact calculation for every diameter, wax type, and wick family combination so you do not have to do the math by hand - though for your specific container, the calculator on our homepage will still give the most precise single answer.
The Master Chart (Soy Wax, Round Containers)
Starting sizes at an 8% fragrance load, the calculator's own default. Use the wax adjustment table further down if you are not using soy.
CD Series (Coreless Cotton)
| Container Diameter | Recommended Size |
|---|---|
| 1.5" (3.8cm) | CD-6 to CD-8 |
| 2" (5.1cm) | CD-10 to CD-12 |
| 2.5" (6.3cm) | CD-14 to CD-16 |
| 3" (7.6cm) | CD-18 to CD-20 |
| 3.5" (8.9cm) | CD-22 to CD-24 |
| 4" (10.2cm) | CD-26 or larger |
| 4.5" (11.4cm) | CD-26 or larger |
HTP Series (Paper-Core Cotton)
| Container Diameter | Recommended Size |
|---|---|
| 1.5" (3.8cm) | HTP-31 to HTP-41 |
| 2" (5.1cm) | HTP-52 to HTP-62 |
| 2.5" (6.3cm) | HTP-73 to HTP-83 |
| 3" (7.6cm) | HTP-93 to HTP-104 |
| 3.5" (8.9cm) | HTP-126 or larger |
| 4" (10.2cm) | HTP-126 or larger |
| 4.5" (11.4cm) | HTP-126 or larger |
ECO Series (Cotton/Paper Blend)
| Container Diameter | Recommended Size |
|---|---|
| 1.5" (3.8cm) | ECO-2 to ECO-4 |
| 2" (5.1cm) | ECO-6 to ECO-8 |
| 2.5" (6.3cm) | ECO-10 to ECO-12 |
| 3" (7.6cm) | ECO-14 to ECO-16 |
| 3.5" (8.9cm) | ECO-16 or larger |
| 4" (10.2cm) | ECO-16 or larger |
| 4.5" (11.4cm) | ECO-16 or larger |
Wood Wicks (Standard + Booster)
| Container Diameter | Recommended Size |
|---|---|
| 1.5" (3.8cm) | Standard: 0.02" to 0.03" / Booster: 0.02" to 0.03" |
| 2" (5.1cm) | Standard: 0.04" to 0.06" / Booster: 0.04" to 0.06" |
| 2.5" (6.3cm) | Standard: 0.08" to 0.10" / Booster: 0.08" to 0.10" |
| 3" (7.6cm) | Standard: 0.12" to 0.14" / Booster: 0.12" to 0.14" |
| 3.5" (8.9cm) | Standard: 0.16" or larger / Booster: 0.16" or larger |
| 4" (10.2cm) | Standard: 0.16" or larger / Booster: 0.16" or larger |
| 4.5" (11.4cm) | Standard: 0.16" or larger / Booster: 0.16" or larger |
LX Series (Zinc-Core)
| Container Diameter | Recommended Size |
|---|---|
| 1.5" (3.8cm) | LX-10 to LX-12 |
| 2" (5.1cm) | LX-14 to LX-16 |
| 2.5" (6.3cm) | LX-18 to LX-20 |
| 3" (7.6cm) | LX-22 to LX-24 |
| 3.5" (8.9cm) | LX-26 or larger |
| 4" (10.2cm) | LX-26 or larger |
| 4.5" (11.4cm) | LX-26 or larger |
Hemp Core Wicks
| Container Diameter | Recommended Size |
|---|---|
| 1.5" (3.8cm) | H-2 to H-3 |
| 2" (5.1cm) | H-3 to H-4 |
| 2.5" (6.3cm) | H-4 to H-5 |
| 3" (7.6cm) | H-5 to H-6 |
| 3.5" (8.9cm) | H-5 to H-6 |
| 4" (10.2cm) | H-5 to H-6 |
| 4.5" (11.4cm) | H-5 to H-6 |
Adjusting for Wax Type
The master chart above uses soy as the reference wax. If you pour a different wax, apply its multiplier to shift up or down from the soy row.
| Wax Type | Multiplier | What It Means |
|---|---|---|
| Soy | 1.00x | Baseline. Every other wax multiplier below is relative to this row. |
| Paraffin | 0.90x | Burns hotter and pools faster than soy - size down from the soy row. |
| Beeswax | 1.10x | High melting point needs more heat to form a full melt pool - size up from the soy row. |
| Coconut | 0.95x | Slightly softer than soy with strong container adhesion - size down a fraction from the soy row. |
| Parasoy Blend | 0.95x | Sits between soy and paraffin in melt behavior - size down a fraction from the soy row. |
| Custom Blend | 1.00x | Custom blends vary by recipe - treat as soy baseline until you run a burn test on your specific mix. |
When One Wick Isn't Enough
Every table above assumes a single, centered wick. That stops being the right model once a container gets wide enough that one flame cannot melt the whole surface before the outer wax starts to reharden. As a general rule of thumb from the craft (not a specific engine output, since multi-wick spacing is a placement problem rather than a size lookup): containers in the 3 to 4 inch range often perform better with a single larger wick or two smaller wicks spaced roughly 1.5 inches apart, 4 to 5 inch containers usually want three wicks in a triangular layout, and anything past 5 inches typically needs three or four wicks spaced evenly across the surface.
Multiple wicks put more heat into the container at once, so before you multi-wick a candle, confirm the container is rated for the higher sustained temperature - see our container selection guide for heat-rating guidance.
Burn-Test Protocol
Every chart on this page is a starting point, not a guarantee. Professional candle makers test every new wax, fragrance, and container combination before selling it.
Burn Test Setup
- Test at least 3 different wick sizes (one smaller, recommended, one larger)
- Use identical wax, fragrance load, and container for each test
- Burn for 2-4 hour intervals, documenting melt pool progress
- Measure melt pool diameter at each hour mark
- Note any mushrooming, smoking, or flickering issues
Optimal Performance Signs
- Melt pool reaches container edge in 2-3 hours
- Flame height: 1/2" to 3/4"
- Minimal to no mushrooming
- Even, complete wax consumption
- Strong scent throw without smoking
Warning Signs
- Melt pool never reaches edges (wick too small)
- Flame over 1" tall (wick too large)
- Excessive mushrooming or carbon buildup
- Smoking or sooting
- Tunneling or uneven burning
Frequently Asked Questions
What wick size do I need for a 3 inch container?
For a 3 inch diameter container in soy wax with a round shape and an 8% fragrance load, our sizing engine recommends a CD-18 to CD-20 cotton wick (CD series) as a starting point. See the full breakdown across all wick families and wax types on our dedicated 3 inch container page, then confirm with a burn test.
Does fragrance load change my wick size?
Yes. Our engine applies a fragrance multiplier of 1 + (fragrance% - 6) x 0.02, so a 6% fragrance load multiplies the effective diameter by 1.00 while a 10% load multiplies it by 1.08. Heavier fragrance loads push more oil into the melt pool, which burns hotter - so higher fragrance percentages nudge you toward a slightly larger wick.
Are wood wicks and cotton wicks sized the same way?
No. Wood wicks use their own thickness scale (measured in fractions of an inch, e.g. 0.08" to 0.10") rather than the CD/HTP/ECO numbering cotton wicks use, and they burn differently - lower and wider with a distinctive crackle. Never substitute a cotton wick size directly onto a wood-wick chart or vice versa; use the wood-wick column for wood wicks.
Does container shape change the recommended wick size?
Yes. Square, rectangular, and hexagonal containers hold more wax per inch of diameter than a round container of the same width, so our engine applies a shape multiplier: round is the baseline (1.00x) while square containers get a 1.10x multiplier, meaning you typically need to size up slightly for non-round shapes.
What do the CD, HTP, and ECO numbers actually mean?
They are manufacturer size codes, not measurements you can convert between brands. Within a single series the number is a relative scale - a CD-16 is thicker and burns hotter than a CD-10 - but a CD-16 is not directly equivalent to an ECO-16 or an HTP-16. Always shop within one series and use its own chart.
My container is over 4 inches wide - do I need multiple wicks?
Usually yes. Past roughly 4 inches of diameter, a single wick struggles to pull enough wax into the melt pool without overheating the center, so most chandlers switch to two or three wicks spaced evenly across the surface rather than one oversized wick. See the multi-wick section below for spacing guidance.
Want an Exact Recommendation?
These charts use round-number defaults. Get a recommendation for your exact container diameter, wax type, and fragrance load with our free wick calculator.